Ph.D. Students of Tianjin University Participated in the Global Young Scientists Summit for the First Time

The Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) with the theme of "Advancing Science, Creating Technologies for A Better World." was held online on January 12-15, 2021, Beijing time. More than 500 young scientists from 30 countries and 85 research institutions/universities were invited to participate in this summit. 21 eminent scientists and technology leaders were invited to participate in the conference and give keynote speeches. Under the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic, GYSS 2021 was held online for the first time. Top scientists who had won the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, Millennium Technology Prize and Turing Award shared their opinions on science, technology and education. For the first time, Tianjin University was specially invited by the National University of Singapore to participate in this summit and five PhD students from the school of Science, Mathematics, Life Sciences, Intellectual Mathematics and Precision Instrument attended the summit.

Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Chairman of the National Research Foundation, delivered the opening speech for the GYSS 2021. He welcomed the participants from all over the world, and reviewed Singapore’s recent achievements in biomedicine and quantum computingand invited young scientists to conduct scientific research at Singapore.

Three sections were held for GYSS 2021, including Plenary Lectures, Panel Discussions and Small Group Informal Sessions. Scientists shared their views from multiple dimensions including science technology, research experience and policy ethics. For example, Professor Robert Langer shared his experiences to encourage young scientists to stick to their ideas and maintain the enthusiasm for scientific research. The presentation titled "The Fruits of Curiosity" was shared by Professor Ada Yonath, emphasizing that curiosity and enthusiasm are the most important driving forces of scientific research. Speakers also discussed the views on many ethical issues of biomedicine under the epidemic, as well as the role of scientists in public safety incidents, and shared the view that “under the global epidemic, scientific researchers should not only be researchers, but also science communicators”. In addition, they emphasized the importance of popularizing vaccines and highly acknowledged China's performance in the COVID-19 epidemic.

During the panel discussions, scientists discussed technology trends under the guidance of moderator, and discussed key issues in various fields, such as precision medicine, science and policy, renewable energy, cancer, and quantum computing with participants. Informal group discussions were featured where the participants had a chance to exchange with famous scientists. The expert scientists answerd the doubts in scientific research and shared their opinions for all aspects of research with young scientsts. Professor Ada Yonath patiently answered questions from Yan Zhang, a PhD candidate from the School of Life Science TJU, about how to carry out research in unfamiliar fields under the background of highly interdisciplinary subjects. In addition, she shared her thoughts and experiences on issues such as time management and work-life balance. These sincere sharing has given young researchers a better understanding of the state of benign scientific research. The elegant demeanor of scholars and the collision of ideas in this conference greatly encouraged the participants of our university. Yanwei Xu, a PhD student from the school of Intellectual Mathematics, said: “This experience is more exciting than any film”, “I was deeply attracted and immersed in the scientific feast. The theoretical science itself is so shining. Combining with the humanity development, the iridescence of technology shines even more. Through technology, the scientists are dedicated to building a better world." Chenfang Sun, a PhD student from the school of Science, said, “I have greatly increased my knowledge, enriched my experience, and realized my shortcomings through this summit. I have further determined my doctoral dissertation and existing research topics. This experience strengthened my striving direction in scientific research."

The Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) is a multi-disciplinary summit sponsored by the National Research Foundation of Singapore, covering the fields of chemistry, physics, medicine, mathematics, computer science, and engineering. It provides an opportunity for young scientists and researchers from all over the world to communicate with famous international scientific and technological elites. The Summit was started in 2013, the speakers invited over the years are all excellent scientists, including top prize winners including the Nobel Prize. The Summit aims to: 1) Excite and inspire bright young researchers to apply their minds to research that addresses serious global challenges and future needs of mankind; 2) Engage and connect young researchers to like-minded peers as well as eminent scientific leaders through close and personal interaction sessions; 3) and enable participants with a compelling research proposition to take the first steps to bring their ideas to fruition.